thanks to the games explosion of popularity from a traditionally

TUCSON, Ariz. -- Stanford and Arizona both had designs on winning their respective divisions heading into the Pac-12 season.A string of injuries in both programs have changed their courses a bit. The division titles are all but out of reach, so Saturday nights game in the desert is more about regaining momentum and moving toward bowl eligibility.Were two teams with talent and ability and were both dealing with injuries, Stanford coach David Shaw said. When healthy, were both one of the top teams in the league.The Cardinal were the defending Pac-12 champions and appeared to be a favorite to repeat after opening the season with three strong wins. A blowout loss to then-No. 10 Washington followed, triggering Stanfords first three-game losing streak in the Pac-12 since 2008, leaving the Cardinal needing two wins to become bowl eligible.Stanford (4-3, 2/3 Pac-12) has not been able to rely heavily on Christian McCaffrey, thanks to an undisclosed injury suffered against Washington State on Oct. 8. Last years Heisman Trophy runner-up did not play against Notre Dame and was held mostly in check in a loss to Colorado last week.The Cardinal will not have cornerback Elijah Holder and fullback Daniel Marx against Arizona, with offensive linemen David Bright and Johnny Caspers both listed as questionable.Arizona bounced back from an opening loss to BYU with a pair of victories, but has been decimated by injuries since then, leaving coach Rich Rodriguezs streak of bowl games in jeopardy.The Wildcats (2-5, 0-4) have seen their top two quarterbacks go down with injury and were forced to move receiver Samajie Grant to running back due to injuries and off-the-field issues. Quarterbacks Anu Solomon and Brandon Dawkins were back at practice this week, but running back Nick Wilson will be out an extended period of time after suffering a new injury in Arizonas last game against Southern California.Eventually you feel this isnt going to happen every year and its a freak-of-nature type of thing, Rodriguez said. Its kind of strange. Its never happened to us and then last year it was the middle linebacker and this year its the quarterbacks and running backs. Its bad luck. Its just one of those things.A few more things to look for when the Wildcats host the Cardinal on Saturday night:STANFORD QB: Stanford has been mired in an offensive slump, so Shaw made the decision to name junior Kelly Chryst as the starting quarterback over fifth-year senior Ryan Burns. Burns threw for 1,058 yards and five touchdowns with seven interceptions while going 4-3 as Stanfords starter. Chryst, the son of former 49ers offensive coordinator Geep Chryst, has appeared in 10 games over the past two years, throwing for 122 yards on 12-of-27 passing.ARIZONA QB: Rodriguez will have a decision to make this week with neither Solomon nor Dawkins appearing on the teams injury report for the first time since the opening game of the season. Dawkins was the starter in both of Arizonas wins, but did not play against USC on Oct. 15 due to a concussion. Solomon, Arizonas starter to open the past three seasons, has not played since suffering a knee injury in practice after the opening loss to BYU. Rodriguez has not tipped his hand on who will start against Stanford.WEAKNESS VS. WEAKNESS: Stanford has dropped into an offensive funk of epic proportions. Once one of the nations best power-football teams, the Cardinal entered Saturdays game last in the FBS in total offense with 299.1 yards per game. Stanford has scored 10 touchdowns all season and is 127th of 128 FBS teams in scoring offense at 17 points per game. Good news for the Cardinal is that their weakness will be going up against Arizonas. The Wildcats are 114th in total defense, giving up an average of 474.6 yards, and allow 33 points per game, 102nd nationally. Something has to give. Cheap Flames Jerseys . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night. Custom Calgary Flames Jerseys .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. https://www.cheapflames.com/ . But now that hes in the NHL, the Calgary Flames centre showed big improvement in that department by scoring the winner in the eighth round of a 5-4 shootout victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Monday. Flames Jerseys 2020 .ca looks back at the stories and moments that made the year memorable. Flames Jerseys 2021 . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining. The U.S. Olympic table tennis team consists of three first-generation Chinese immigrants and three second-generation Asian Americans (two ethnic Chinese and one Indian). Yue Wu, Jiaqi Zheng, Yijun Feng, Tim Wang, Lily Zhang and Kanak Jha are ready to dish out some blocks, chops and lobs in Rio de Janeiro.Rio marks the first time Team USA qualified for both mens and womens full table tennis events in an Olympic setting, thanks to the games explosion of popularity from a traditionally marginalized sport in America, as well as the leftovers players assisting from China.Yue Wu is a perfect example. She was born and raised in Beijing and played professionally for the city before moving to Fort Lee, New Jersey, in 2008. The 26-year-old became a U.S. citizen in 2014. She won the 2015 Pan Am Games and earned an automatic entry to Rio this summer.Its my dream to play in the Olympics, she told ESPN.com. If I can win gold or get a medal, I think it will really help the sport in the U.dddddddddddd. I want to help the sport grow.Indeed, table tennis has grown immensely in America. Just ask the 16-year-old Kanak Jha.Born and raised in the San Francisco Bay Area, Jha picked up his paddle at six years old. He trains at India Community Center, one of the largest table tennis clubs in the U.S. He arrives in Rio as the youngest American Olympian. He is also the first American born in the 21st century to qualify for the Games.I dont think about (age) too much, Jha said. When youre over there, it doesnt really matter how old you are.Americans have never won an Olympic medal in table tennis. This is unlikely to change in Rio, as it remains nearly impossible for any country to challenge Chinas status-quo domination in the sport. But as Jha said before heading to Rio: We will try our best. ' ' '